News From Tides

Message from CEO Melissa L. Bradley

February 09, 2011

Three months into my new job as CEO of Tides I am delighted to share some of the highlights of Tides 2.0. The goal of Tides 2.0 is to position Tides as a worldwide leader in powering social change and scaling impact. With over 20% of our grant making placed internationally, and over 230 partner projects across the U.S., we are well on our way. As we celebrate 35 years of service, I am honored to be partnering with our donors, projects, and the entire Tides community to realize this vision.

As part of Tides 2.0 I invite you to join us in our efforts to build community. Over the next several months we will be creating learning spaces for donors, activists, entrepreneurs, legislators and others to discuss best practice, identify areas of need in the sector, and facilitate an exchange of ideas and innovation. We will accomplish this through webinars, conference calls, publications, small gatherings, and more. One example is our upcoming teleconference with NCG entitled Fostering Civil Discourse and Tolerance on February 23, 2011. This is part of our National Dialogue on Tolerance.

A key priority of our roadmap for 2011 is the growth and sustainability of Tides. For the past three years we have managed the recession internally through cost reductions. While successful and challenging, we were able to recognize some temporary financial gains. Unfortunately, this process is no longer sustainable. Now is time for us to invest in important infrastructure that powers social change in collaboration with stakeholders and partners. As a nonprofit social enterprise we need to be mindful of our own sustainability in order to support the field. Due to current economic conditions, coupled with our need to enhance internal systems and technology, we will be making changes in our pricing models that are necessary. The outcome of this investment is to improve our product and service offerings in order to scale and sustain social change around the globe.

I am thrilled to announce some changes at Tides. At the end of last year, Jane Levikow became Senior Vice President of Tides Center. She has over 15 years of experience at Tides and is committed to the growth and success of the Center and its partner projects. This year, we launched a new department called Impact and Innovation. Leveraging internal talent, this department is dedicated to analyzing our impact, framing our value to the world and identifying partners with whom we can catalyze social change.

I am honored and humbled in my new role as CEO. It is a new day! With new leadership, new goals and new products and services, the Tides team looks forward to working with you to actualize your commitment to social change.